Accidentally In Love
by hana-to-mame
Summary: Benny attempts to use a spell to grow him and Ethan a moustache but ends up making a huge mistake.  Slash.  Benny/Ethan.  Mpreg!
1. The Spell

**Accidentally In Love (a My Babysitter's A Vampire fanfic)**

**Rated: T**

**Pairing: Ethan/Benny**

**Summary: Benny attempts to use a spell to grow him and Ethan a moustache but ends up making a huge mistake. Slash. Benny/Ethan. Mpreg!**

**Warnings: Mpreg.**

**Chapter 1 - The Spell (Posted 21 August 2011)**

"Benny, this is a stupid idea." Ethan finally told his best friend. "Why do you even _want_ a moustache?"

"Because, chicks dig moustaches." Benny said with raised eyebrows as he paged through his spell book. "I know it's in here somewhere."

"Yeah, on older guys who also have muscles and nice cars. I won't look good with a moustache. Remember when I dressed up as Dazzle Dan?"

"Yeah." Benny laughed with a snort. "Not a pretty picture."

"See!" Ethan insisted.

"But that was a _fake_ one, E." Benny argued. "This spell actually makes hair grow out of your face."

"It sounds gross when you say it like that."

"Come on. Trust me. When have I ever been wrong about this stuff?"

Ethan gave him a look like he couldn't believe he just asked that. "Are you serious? Pretty much every single spell you try ends in a disaster. And you expect me to just sit back as you test your powers out on my face? I don't think so."

Benny pouted. "I've been getting better though. Gramma practices with me all the time and this spell is my level. Look, here it is. Just trust me, Ethan. Nothing is going to go wrong. We'll grow a pair of staches and then we'll have babes lining up to date us."

"I know I'm gonna regret it. But okay, what's the worst that could happen?" Ethan shrugged.

"Yes!" Benny pumped his fist in the air and set the book down on Ethan's desk. "Okay, you come sit down here." He got up and pulled Ethan from his bed to his chair, not noticing that the open window had allowed a stray breeze to sneak in and turn a page back in the book. "Now... we have to hold hands? That's a little weird. But it's for a good cause, so here." Benny stood in front of Ethan and stuck his arms out, acquiring an amused grin as his friend sighed and begrudgingly extended his arms and placed their hands together.

"Is this really necessary?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah." Benny nodded. "It says it has something to do with the hormones. But whatever. It's for the stache, dude."

Ethan simply shook his head in false annoyance and went along with this childish scheme. He knew something would undoubtedly go wrong, and he wasn't exactly loving holding Benny's sweaty hands, but if it would appease him for a while, he would try it, because that's what friends do. Especially when one of those friends had been forced to grow up way too fast due to the death of his parents. Ethan certainly didn't claim to be an adult, but he was by far the more mature of the duo. And he wanted to make sure it stayed that way because Benny deserved to stay a kid for as long as he wanted. "Okay. What next?"

"Well there's something we're both supposed to think silently. Then I say something out loud, and then you do, and we're done. Here, these are the words." Benny pointed in the book as he slid it over so Ethan could see. "We close our eyes and think this for about a minute. Like a silent prayer or something. Then I'll say this, and you say that. Got it?"

"Yep." Ethan sighed.

They both closed their eyes and thought 'parvulus' over and over again until a minute had gone by.

Benny opened his eyes first and when he say Ethan open his he said, "Nobis ubertatem."

Then Ethan followed him by saying, "Nobis paritura."

They started to feel a surge of energy through their bodies and a strange sickness came over them.

"Oh, dude," Ethan choked out as he bent forward, "I'm gonna barf."

"Me too." Benny clenched his stomach.

Like a flash of lightening, the boys took off to the bathroom. Ethan made it there first, chumming into the toilet. Benny followed right behind and puked in the sink. They retched for a few minutes before finally the sick feeling wore off.

"Benny!" Ethan scolded from aside of the toilet. "What did you do?"

"I don't know. Maybe I said something wrong." Benny panted. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Ethan breathed, unable to stay mad at his friend for long. "It wasn't that bad."

Benny lifted his head and looked in the mirror, scrutinizing every angle of his upper lip in search of any hair. "Aw, man. It didn't even work."

"Don't get so down about it. Maybe it takes a while for the spell to take effect. And if it really didn't work we can try again." Ethan offered.

"Cool. But we have to wait a while. The book said that you should wait about three months between attempts."

"That's strange."

"Yeah, but it is magic, so you never really know what to expect."

"True." Ethan agreed.

"Maybe moustaches were a stupid idea." Benny sighed.

"Hey, come on. Don't say that. You're ideas aren't stupid."

"But they kind of are." Benny admitted as he rinsed the sink out and heard Ethan flush the toilet. "I mean think about it. Have I ever come up with an idea that didn't end badly?"

"Come on, don't be like that, Benny." Ethan stood and walked over to him. "So what if things go wrong sometimes? Everyone messes up once in a while. But it's nothing to be sad about. Besides, your ideas are usually at least entertaining if not totally awesome."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Benny smiled. "Okay. Thanks. Maybe tomorrow we can see if there's an x-ray vision spell!"

"Sure." Ethan laughed. "Are you staying tonight or are you going home?"

"Gramma wants me to do laundry tonight so I gotta go home." Benny pouted. "But tomorrow is Friday so I'll be over after school and I'll probably spend the night. That way we can start working on our report for English."

"Sounds like a plan." Ethan walked Benny to the door and saw his friend off. Even though he knew a moustahce would most likely look bad on him, he was disappointed that the spell didn't work. Benny had been so excited about it, and of course Ethan was willing to indulge in practically any of the boy's immature antics. Anything to keep his mind on happier things.


	2. Realizing

**Chapter 2 - Realizing (Posted 27 August 2011)**

"I still can't believe it didn't work." Benny said as he walked up to Ethan in school the next morning. "I looked in the mirror when I woke up, and I think if anything it gave me _less_ of a moustache. Look, there isn't even any fuzz!" Benny pointed to his face and then rubbed his upper lip. "It's completely smooth. Here, feel it." he stuck his face closer to Ethan's.

"I am not feeling your face." Ethan rolled his eyes.

"Fine." Benny pulled back. "But that's not even the worst part."

"What do you mean?" Ethan looked at his friend. He'd had a sinking feeling all night that there was more to this situation than a failed attempt to grow facial hair. He couldn't sleep because no matter how he laid, he couldn't get comfortable. And his stomach had been rumbling all night, causing him to have to make multiple trips to the bathroom for a few different reasons.

Benny got a hopeless look on his face. "I was looking through the book last night... and there are no x-ray vision spells!" he wined.

Ethan chuckled with relief. He should have guessed it would be something like that. "I'm sorry man. Maybe there's something else you'd like to try?"

Benny made a thoughtful face before coming to a decision. "Nah. Not today."

This confused Ethan. "What? But you _always_ have something you want to try." He thought maybe Benny was starting to feel bad about himself since he couldn't quite get the hang of magic. And he couldn't have that.

"Yeah, well... I really wanted a moustache." Benny pouted and looked at Ethan through innocent, forlorn eyes.

Ethan laughed again, thankful that he was just disappointed in his lack of a moustache. "Don't get discouraged, Benny." Ethan said, being the supportive best friend that he was. "We can try again, okay? And there are a ton of other spells and potions we can experiment with until then."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Do you have the spell book with you?"

"Of course." Benny announced proudly.

Ethan smiled as he stuck out his hands. "Let me see it.

Benny reached into his bag and pulled the not-so-inconspicuous book that no one ever seemed to notice them with and handed it to Ethan. "Here ya go. But there aren't any that we could alter for x-ray vision. I did see one for invisibility though. But that one's way too advanced for me. Plus it only keeps people from seeing you if they're not looking for you. If someone is trying to find you specifically they'll still be able to see you. So I don't really know what good that would do us..."

"Um... Benny?" Ethan said as he looked through the book. "What page was the spell on? The one we tried last night."

"I don't know. Like 143 or something like that."

Ethan nodded, lips pursed as he turned the book around and pointed inside. "Is this the one?"

Benny examined it and nodded. "Moustache Growth Incantation. Yep, that's it."

"Read the instructions, Benny. This isn't what we did."

"What are you-" Benny stopped as he got about half way through the page and realized Ethan was right. "You're right. That isn't what we did. This says we're supposed to chant these lines here while rubbing our upper lips. Did we do that?"

"No. We didn't."

"I didn't think so." Benny looked up at Ethan, his eyes now filled with worry.

"So what did we do, then?" Ethan asked, mirroring Benny's worried expression.

"Well how should I know?" Benny shrugged defensively. Ethan's mouth fell open in frustration. He was about to say something, probably to scold him, but Benny cut him off. "Okay, okay. Look. I'll go through the book and see if I can find what we did. Whatever it is can't be that bad, I don't see any weird things happening or anything, so maybe there's a reversal spell. And if not we can always ask Gramma."

"You'll get in trouble for doing it without her permission."

"Oh well. I can handle it. The spell I wanted to do was my level, so I'm sure if I tell her that she won't be too upset."

"Let's hope so." Ethan rolled his eyes. "We should get to class."

Benny sighed. "I guess. Gramma said if she gets another call about me being late she's taking away my RC Tribble for a month."

"Ooh, that's harsh."

They started walking to class, but Ethan stopped and put a hand on his head when he started to feel dizzy.

Benny turned around when he realized Ethan was no longer aside of him. "Woah, Ethan, are you okay?" he said when he noticed he looked like he was in pain.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I think I must be getting the flu or something though. I was sick all night and I've been having dizzy spells since I woke up." Ethan admitted.

"Do you think maybe it's a side-effect of the spell?"

"Not likely. Wouldn't you be experiencing it too then?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. But like you really never know how it's going to affect you."

"Well I'm better now. These things usually last like twenty four hours, so if it's not gone by tomorrow, I'll have Mom take me to the doctor."

"Good idea."

X

"Ethan," the boy's mother said as she was getting ready to leave the house that night, "your father and I are going to a company dinner tonight. Sarah will be here in a few minutes, so just sit still until she gets here, okay?"

"Yeah, Mom." Ethan sighed heavily. As much as he liked Sarah coming over every Friday, he hated the fact that she was only there to babysit them.

"Is Benny here? I thought I saw him..."

"He's upstairs, studying." Ethan said. It wasn't a total lie. He was studying, but not any text book.

"Alright, well, you two better behave."

"We will, Mom, don't worry." Ethan insisted.

"And I know you mentioned feeling sick, so there's some medicine out on the kitchen table if you need it."

"Okay, Mom, I get it. Thanks. You're gonna be late." Ethan said and his dad emphasized his point by honking the horn in the car.

"Alright. I just hate leaving you when you're sick." she said as she backed out the front door.

"I'm sure I'm fine. Have a good time with Dad."

She smiled. "Thanks, sweetie. Bye." She waved as she closed the door behind her.

Ethan was about to go back upstairs when the doorbell rang. He opened it and saw Sarah standing there. "Hey, Sarah. Come on in." He stepped aside to let her inside. "Jane is in the living room watching television. I have to go upstairs and talk to Benny about something really important."

"Okay." she eyed him suspiciously. "You're acting kind of strange..."

"Strange? Me? No, there's nothing strange about me." Ethan declared, earning a raised eyebrow from Sarah. "You know what I mean."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll just go watch some t.v. with Jane then."

Ethan watched her go sit down before walking carefully up the stairs. He didn't want to run since he'd been getting dizzy spells all day.

"So," Ethan asked as he walked into his room, "have any luck?"

Benny was sitting at Ethan's desk, examining a page in his spell book. "Yes. But good or bad, I can't really tell."

"What? Did you find the spell we used?"

"Yeah." Benny's voice cracked. "It was on the page before the moustache one. The wind must have turned the page."

"And you didn't notice?"

"I guess not. I mean, I did look at the spell just before that, so I should have noticed that something was off, but I was just so excited..."

"Benny, it's okay, just tell me what spell we used and we can fix it." He reached over Benny's shoulder and took the book.

"No, Ethan." Benny whirled around and tried to rip the book from Ethan's hand.

"Come on, Benny, just let me see..." Ethan finally pulled the book away from Benny and began reading. "What... is this?"

"It's not as bad as you think." Benny pleaded.

Ethan looked up with wide eyes. "What did you do to me?"

"It probably didn't do anything."

"This is a fertility spell! Couples use it to get _pregnant. _ What the hell, Benny!"

"Ethan, would you chill for just one second?" Benny asked. "We're both guys, remember? There's no way this spell worked on us."

"Benny, you don't understand." Ethan protested. "I felt sick in the stomach all night last night. Then I threw up like fifty times before school and I've been dizzy all day."

Benny eyed him. "Not to mention cranky."

Ethan glared at him.

"Dude, you don't seriously think you could be... pregnant, do you?"

"I don't know! You're the one who did the magic!"

"But... my magic never works. So you're safe."

Ethan pursed his lips and looked back at the book. "Did you translate this yet?"

"I was just about to when you came up here." Benny grabbed the book back and turned back to Ethan's computer. "Okay, so the first thing means... child. Well, that seems reasonable, I mean these things usually have you visualize what you want when you-"

"Would you just finish translating, please?"

"Fine. Nobis ubertatem. We will be fertile. and nobis paritura. We will bear a child. There, are you happy now?"

"No! I am not happy!"

"Why not? I did what you asked me to!" Benny defended. "I found the spell. And I translated the latin. What else do you want from me?"

"I felt something, last night, Benny. When the spell was over, I felt like... this energy moving through me."

"So did I..." Benny admitted.

"You see? That means _something _happened. And now I'm sick. The only logical explanation is..."

"No. It has to be something else. There's no way it's that."

"Well is there a way to tell if it worked?"

Benny looked at the book once again. "There's a detection spell. But it can't be performed by the couple who did the fertility spell."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Gramma?" Benny suggested.

"I guess she is the only person we know who could do it. But how are we going to ask her? I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Look, I am positive that it didn't work. But to put your mind at ease, we'll have Gramma prove it and then I'll get scolded for not paying attention and that'll be the end of it. Okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

"Is she home?"

"Right now?" Benny pouted. "Can't we wait till tomorrow?"

"No. I need to know _now_. And if you're as confident as you say you are that this spell didn't work, you should have no problem."

Benny sighed. "Alright, fine. But only because I know I'm right about this."


	3. Detection

**Chapter 3 - Detection (Posted 31 August 2011)**

"Benny, is that you?" a voice called out from deeper within the house as they entered.

"Yeah, Gramma. And Ethan." Benny answered.

"Hello boys." she said sweetly as she came into the living room. "Isn't today Friday? I thought you'd be at Ethan's house."

"Well, we were..." Benny told her, "but... I need to ask you a theoretical question."

"Oh boy." she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm really just curious."

"And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"Apparently not." Benny said, earning a light smack on his shoulder from Ethan. "No, it can't wait. You know how these questions just bug me until I can't think about anything else."

"Alright, ask away."

"Okay. Um... you know the fertility spell on page 142?"

"Yes..." she said inquisitively.

"Well, um... would it... work on a man? Hypothetically."

"Not just hypothetically." she answered. "That spell is made for people who cannot conceive children. Males fit that description."

"Oh. I see..."

Suddenly she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "What did you do, Benny?"

Benny wrinkled his nose. "I may have... accidentally... used the spell. On Ethan."

"What!"

"I'm sorry!" he insisted. "I was trying to do a moustache spell! It was totally within the guidelines you gave me!"

"How did you manage to confuse the two?"

"It was on the page before it." Benny said. "That book is a hazard, you know. Those spells should be organized by level."

Benny's grandmother stared him down. "If you would pay attention, that wouldn't be an issue."

"I know that but it's not my fault the wind blew the page back!"

"Benny," his grandmother looked at him pointedly, "you really need to be more careful. Do you understand what you could have done to Ethan?"

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts." Gramma shushed him. "Ethan, go sit down on the sofa, please. Knowing my grandson, it probably didn't work, but I have to check just to make sure."

"Okay." Ethan paled slightly as he sat down.

"Benny, sit next to him, and then have Ethan lay back with his head in your lap."

"Aw, but Gramma, that's weird!" Benny whined as he sat next to Ethan.

"Come on, Benny," Ethan reasoned, "let's just do this and get it over with. Please? As soon as I know that I'm _not_... pregnant, everything can go back to normal." He chuckled a little when Benny rolled his eyes and sat back, giving Ethan space to lie back into his lap.

"Now," Benny's grandmother said, "just stay still while I recite the detection spell. If it's negative, Ethan's palms will glow green. But if it's positive, they'll either glow pink or blue; pink for a girl and blue for a boy."

"The spell can tell this early?" Ethan asked.

"Oh yes," the old woman explained, "the detection spell tells you the gender right away since it's a magical child. But you probably don't have anything to worry about."

"Wait," Ethan stalled again, "will the baby have special powers like me and Benny?"

"It could. The magical conception doesn't increase the chances of it having any sort of powers, but the fact that both of you do does make it almost impossible for it not to."

"Wow." Ethan thought aloud.

"Just relax, boys." Benny's grandmother tried to calm them, even though she herself wasn't quite sure of what the outcome would be. Then she proceeded to place a finger on Ethan's stomach and recite the spell. "Veritatem revelare uteri mei."

Both Ethan and Benny looked down at Ethan's open palms for a few seconds. Then their eyes met as they watched Ethan's hands begin to glow... a bright, radiating blue.


	4. Reaction

**Chapter 4 - Reaction (Posted 8 September 2011)**

"Benny..." Ethan said, paling further.

"Yeah..." Benny mimicked his absent expression.

"Please tell me I've gone colorblind in the last few seconds."

"Only if you tell me the same thing."

"Oh my..." Gramma said, staring at Ethan's blue palms.

"I'm pregnant." Ethan said blankly, looking back down at his hands.

Benny followed Ethan's eyes, also gazing at the illuminated hands of his best friend. "I see that."

"I'm pregnant, Benny, you got me _pregnant_!" Ethan jumped up and stared accusingly at Benny.

"I-"

"How could you do this to me?" Ethan asked, wearing a hurt look on his face. "I can't be pregnant! I'm just a teenager. And I'm a guy! I'm supposed to get _someone else_ pregnant!"

"I'm sorry!" Benny defended himself.

"Oh my God..." Ethan looked again down at his hands, which were now beginning to lose their glow. "Oh my God..."

"Ethan..." Benny stood, reaching out in an attempt to console his friend.

"No, don't touch me." Ethan slapped his hand away and backed up.

"I'm not gonna do anything to you." Benny was a little confused as to why Ethan seemed so terrified of him.

"You already did something, Benny! You got me pregnant! I am having a _baby_. A baby. I'm gonna be a father."

"Technically you're the mother." Benny corrected him jokingly.

"Benny!" Ethan glared at him. "Do you know how serious this is? We're going to be parents. With responsibilities and... and we're going to have to change diapers and give it baths and feed it and take it to school and help it with it's homework and pay for college and-"

"Ethan," Benny placed his hands on Ethan's shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes, "slow down. You're only a day pregnant. We have nine months to think about those things."

"But... but how am I going to give birth? How are we going to explain this to my parents? What if he's born prematurely? What if I have a miscarriage? What are we going to do, Benny?"

"Listen to me." Benny pulled him into a lose hug. He wasn't one to get serious very often, but he knew Ethan needed him to be serious right now. "We'll figure it out, okay? I... I don't know all the answers to your questions right now. And I'm so sorry this happened to you... but we'll figure it out. I promise. I'm not going to let you deal with this on your own. Even if it was someone else's, you're my best friend, and I would never abandon you in a situation like this."

"But... but I can't have a baby, Benny." Ethan whispered. "I have no idea how to raise a child. I can't even babysit my own sister on Friday nights! How am I supposed to become a parent?"

"You boys should probably go talk about this." Benny's grandmother said to them. "In private."

Benny looked at Ethan. "Do you want to go home, or..."

"No, definitely not." Ethan said, thinking of having his parents walk in on this conversation. "Can we just go up to your room or something?"

"Sure." Benny nodded. He walked close to Ethan as they made their way up to his bedroom. They sat aside of Benny's bed, with their backs up against it. It was silent for a few minutes as they both thought about what to say. Then Benny looked over at Ethan. "I really am sorry, Ethan."

"I know you are." Ethan said without looking at him.

"I had no idea that something like this was going to happen. Or that it even could..."

"I know."

"And I-"

"Benny," Ethan interrupted, finally looking at him, "I know. I know you're sorry and I know you didn't mean for it to happen. What I don't know is where we go from here."

"What do people usually do in this situation?"

"Do you know anyone else who's been through this?" Ethan asked.

"No." Benny looked away. "But I mean... there are tons of pregnant teenagers out there..."

"Yeah, girls.. I'm a guy! _And_ a virgin! I just... even with all the craziness in our lives, I wasn't prepared for anything like this, you know? I mean, obviously, I knew that I'd be a father one day, because I do want kids, I just... didn't think it would happen like this."

"Me either." Benny almost chuckled. "I never thought I'd be a father."

"You didn't?" Ethan asked, confused. He'd often heard Benny talk about what he'd name his children and how he wanted this many boys and that many girls.

"No."

"Why not?"

Benny shrugged. "Just never thought it would happen."

"But you love kids."

"Yeah."

"So why wouldn't you want any?"

Benny closed his eyes. "It's a long story."

"I've got time." Ethan said.

Benny peeked out one squinted eye to stare at Ethan. "I don't want to tell you."

"But... you tell me everything..."

"It's kind of personal."

"Benny, three days ago, you told me how you ripped your boxers in half while trying to do a split and then proceeded to go commando for the rest of the day and your pants kept riding up your butt crack. And your argument is that you don't want to tell me because it's too personal? I'm not buying it."

"Nobody wants me." Benny said flatly.

Ethan's jaw dropped slightly. "What?"

"Girls don't like me, Ethan. Why else would I have to constantly try to impress them with magic? And even that doesn't work because I'm so horrible at it."

"Benny, don't say things like that. You'll meet a great girl some day."

"I disagree."

"Why?"

"Because no girl has ever showed any interest in me. Erica kissed me because of a love potion, but other than that... they don't even do it as a prank! It's like I'm not even worth that much. I just don't think I'll ever find anyone who'll... you know, love me like that."

"That's sad..."

Benny shrugged again. "It's just how I feel."

"I think you're wrong." Ethan told him nicely. "Someday a girl will be smart enough to realize what a catch you are, Benny."

"You know... to be honest, I don't really want that to happen."

"Why not?" Ethan wondered.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess it would be nice, but every time I picture myself married to a pretty girl or a business woman or an artist or any other kind of girl I can think of, I just... it doesn't seem right. And I know you don't think I realize how immature I am, but I do. I know I'm stupid sometimes and I make dumb mistakes and do crazy things, but no matter how many times I tell myself that this is it and I'm going to change, I just can't bring myself to stop acting like a little kid. So I can't see myself ever being ready to actually settle down with anyone."

"You have every right to stay young and immature, Benny." Ethan told him sternly. "For as long as you want."

"But I will have to grow up sometime." Benny hung his head a little.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Ethan argued. "I'll never let anyone force you to grow up. I'd do anything to keep you like this."

Benny finally gave a little laugh and looked into Ethan's eyes. "Thanks."

"I mean it."

"Thank you." Benny said seriously.

"So..." Ethan said, knowing they couldn't avoid talking about it. "What should we do?"

"I don't know."

"I can't believe I'm pregnant." Ethan looked down at his belly. "I can't see it. But there's a baby in there. Living inside me. It's... really weird to think about..."

"It is weird." Benny agreed, letting his eyes fall to Ethan's stomach as well. "But can you imagine how awesome that baby is going to be with you and me as his parents?"

Ethan laughed. "True. He'll probably be super smart and the perfect combination of nerd and fanboy. Not to mention amazingly adorable."

"We are pretty cute." Benny agreed with a tiny smile.

Ethan smiled back before biting his lip. "So how are we going to do this?"

"I have no idea."

"Should we keep it?" Ethan asked quietly. "Or should we think about putting it up for adoption?"

"I don't know." Benny answered. "I don't like the idea of giving our baby to someone else. But then again I don't know if I can keep it knowing it could have a better life with another family, you know, with parents who aren't teenagers."

"I agree." Ethan said.

"I think we should wait a little bit before making that decision." Benny suggested. "Unless you know what you want to do."

"No, I don't know. I think we should wait too."

"I can't believe you're so calm about this now compared to how you were freaking out earlier."

Ethan glared at him. "Hey, I'm pregnant here, cut me some slack. That's just the beginning of my mood swings."

"I live with a menopausal woman, Ethan, I can handle mood swings."

Ethan giggled. "So, if we keep it, we'll be raising him together, right?"

"Of course." Benny assured him.

"Good. Because I don't want to be a single parent."

Benny laughed. "Are you kidding? I already told you, I wouldn't let you go through this alone no matter what."

"You know..." Ethan said softly, as if he were embarrassed, "I always had this plan... I mean I guess most guys do, even if they don't admit it, about what they'd do if they got a girl pregnant. Not that I thought I would at this age, but... I am a guy, so I did think about... you know... _it_."

Benny snickered at Ethan's shyness. "What was your plan?" He asked, curious.

"I'd ask her to marry me." He looked over at Benny, an expectant look on his face.

Benny looked confused. Then he figured it out. "You want to marry me?"

Ethan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. If we decide to keep it."

Benny hung his head in frustration and groaned quietly.

"If you don't want to..."

"It's not that." Benny interrupted him. "But I'm already forcing you to have a baby. I can't take away your right to marry someone you love."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Benny said. "But it's definitely not that I don't want to marry you. I would totally marry you. Can you imagine what that would be like? We'd live in the same house and get to see each other every day. We're practically married now anyway, with as much time we spend together, so it really wouldn't be that different."

"I guess you're right." Ethan chuckled. "So that really trumps your theory about not letting me marry someone I love. We'd still be close no matter who I marry. She'd have to understand that, and she would if she was the right one. But I do care about you, you know. So it's not like I'd be marrying this complete stranger or a person I couldn't see myself spending the rest of my life with."

"You'd really marry me?"

"We did tell our parents we were going to run away and elope when we were six." Ethan reminded him with a smirk.

"We were six! We didn't even know what 'elope' meant." Benny laughed at the memory.

"I know. But yeah, I'd marry you. If we keep it. And if you wanted to, that is. But I don't really want to think about it right now."

"Then don't." Benny said, understanding.

Ethan looked down. "It can't be that simple."

"Yes it can. For now, at least. I mean, of course there'll be times when you just can't stop thinking about it. Believe me, I know how that feels. But then there are times when you just feel so impossibly amazing that you can't seem to dwell on anything that makes you feel bad. And there are even times when the bad thoughts and memories don't seem so bad because, even though they might be really horrible, you think about how awesome the other parts of your life still are and you're thankful for that."

"You think about your parents a lot?" Ethan asked, even though it was less of a question and more like a knowing statement.

Benny nodded. "Almost every day."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Benny shook his head. "It's not anybody's fault. It just happened."

"But I'm still sorry that you're still hurting because of it."

"You shouldn't be sorry. If it wasn't for you and your family, I don't know what would have happened to me. I mean, Gramma is great, she takes care of me and I love her a lot, but if you hadn't been there for me... I think I'd be a lot worse off than just having some painful memories sneaking up on me once in a while."

"Well if you ever want to talk about it, I'll always listen."

Benny just nodded.

"Benny," Ethan put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "really. If you ever want to talk... about anything, please talk to me."

"I will."

"Good." Ethan smiled and leaned forward, awkwardly wrapping his arms around Benny in a sort-of sideways hug. He felt Benny drape his long arms lightly around his back and was overcome with a feeling of warmth. He felt so relaxed, so at peace, that he almost didn't ever want to move. It was a weird feeling, but he attributed it to his hormones, and overlooked the fact that it wasn't something he hadn't felt in other hugs he'd shared with Benny.


	5. Hormones

**Chapter 5 - Hormones (Posted 23 September 2011)**

"Can I stay here tonight?" Ethan asked suddenly, pulling out of the hug.

"Sure." Benny answered. "You know you don't have to ask. But I don't have the air mattress anymore."

"What happened to it?" Ethan asked.

"Well I wanted to see if I could make it into a waterbed..."

"Oh boy." Ethan said under his breath.

"So I took it outside and got the hose and put the pointy nozzle on it. Then I put it in the air hole. And it worked! It filled up with water! When it was full I put the plug in the hole and I laid on it, it was awesome, it was just like a waterbed."

"That's not so bad." Ethan said. "I have to sleep on a water mattress instead of an air mattress, it's not like-"

"Wait." Benny said, looking guilty, "there's more to the story."

Ethan took a deep breath. "Okay."

"I laid there for a few minutes when I had this idea to see if I could use it as a trampoline. I mean, we jump on it when it has air in it, so what's the difference, right? So I stand up and I'm jumping on it, and it's really fun because the water makes it hard to keep my balance. And it's all going fine, until I decide to try a butt bounce."

"Benny." Ethan laughed through his look of mild disbelief.

"Yeah. So I jump as high as I can and tuck my legs in, you know like criss-cross apple sauce, and I land on it and _FOOSH_!" Benny threw his hands in the air. "The mattress exploded! Water flew everywhere. It startled me at first, but it looked really cool."

"Let me get this straight." Ethan said, "You filled my mattress with water and then exploded it."

Benny nodded. "Yep."

Ethan chuckled. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Aw, you know you love me."

"That's true enough."

"I'll buy you a new mattress."

"Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that." Ethan assured him. "I'll just use your sleeping bag."

"Um..."

"Please tell me you didn't blow up your sleeping bag too."

"Nope. I just used it as a cushion when I was jumping on the mattress. It's drying in the attic."

Ethan couldn't contain the small laugh that came as a result of Benny's statement. "Where was I when all this happened?"

"Puking, apparently."

"That was just this morning?"

"I wanted to wait for you, I swear! But it was so fun, and I didn't think it was gonna blow up. I was gonna show you after school today."

"Don't worry about it, Benny." Ethan said, sensing a little guilt in his friend's voice. "I have an old air mattress I can use until I get a new one. But I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight. I don't feel like going home."

"Aren't you mad at me?"

"What?" Ethan was a little confused by the question. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know."

"Well I'm not." Ethan stood and extended his arms down to help Benny up as well. Benny grabbed his hands and pulled himself up. They were standing close, their faces barely an inch apart. "Um... Benny?"

"Yes?" Benny smiled, wrinkling his nose up.

Ethan lost his train of thought. "Your nose..."

"Huh?" Benny immediately began digging around in his nostrils. "Do I have a booger?"

"No." Ethan laughed. "I... it... you're so cute when you do that..."

"Do what?"

"Uh... when you wrinkle your nose like that... it's just... it's really adorable."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome..." Ethan felt like he couldn't quite catch his breath.

Benny squinted his eyes a little in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel so good."

Benny knew what he meant immediately and turned around to grab his garbage bucket. He thrust it into Ethan's arms just in time for him to throw up into it. Then he grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him over to the bed. "Sit down, E."

Ethan obey him, sitting on the side of the bed and leaning forward as he continued to spew into the bucket. Then he felt something gently rubbing his back. He looked out the corner of his eye and saw it was Benny trying to comfort him. When he was pretty sure it was all out, he sat back.

"Better?" Benny asked. After receiving a silent nod from Ethan, he took the bucket out of the room. He returned a few minutes later with the bucket, now clean, and a glass half-filled with a red liquid. He placed the bucket on the floor near Ethan and held the glass out to him and said, "Mouthwash."

"Thanks." The sound was a bit scratchy, and Ethan couldn't be sure if Benny understood it or not. He took the glass and sipped the rinse into his mouth, swishing it around for a minute before spitting it back into the glass. Benny grabbed it and walked out of the room again.

He came back empty-handed this time and turned his bedroom light off. Finding his way over to his bed, he crawled in and pulled Ethan down next to him. It wasn't strange to either of them, because they'd often slept together when one of them was sick. "Do you mind sleeping here tonight?" Benny asked with a whisper.

"No." Ethan answered.

"You're gonna be fine, Ethan." He said, wrapping his arms around him. "Whatever we decide, you're going to be fine. I'm gonna take care of you."

"You always have taken care of me." Ethan said sleepily. "We take care of each other. That's how it works."

"I know. I'm just reminding you that I'll always be here for you."

X

Benny was the first to wake up the next morning. He looked at Ethan, who was snuggled against him, and began thinking about what he'd done. He felt terrible. Causing such a major change in his best friend's life, all because of his inability to grow up fully.

However, he wasn't really too scared of being a father. He kind of liked it, in fact. He did have a very mature way of thinking, it was only momentary lapses in his adulthood that forced him to act like a child. And he felt certain that his irresponsibility wouldn't be a hindrance to him with Ethan there to balance it out. Personally, he thought they'd make great parents. He never considered the possibility of them having a child _together_, but now that it was happening he couldn't believe how appealing it was. They were great together. They'd been together for years. They knew everything about each other. There was rarely a reason to feel shy about telling the other something, and even if there was, eventually they remembered that nothing could change the way they think about each other. They supported each other, too.

He thought about Ethan's initial reaction. How angry and hurt he was. He'd felt like he just wanted to dig a hole and lay deep in the earth for the rest of his life just so he'd never have to see that face on Ethan again. But then later, he'd seemed much more calm, and willing to talk about it with him.

Benny knew what he wanted to do with the baby. He'd always known. Because just like Ethan said, everybody has a plan, even if they believe it would never happen.

He wanted to keep it, of course. If it was him and some girl he really didn't care about, he would have come right out and say it. But this was Ethan. His best friend who'd done anything and everything for him. They cared about each other. Even if it wasn't on that romantic level, they knew that they were the person who mattered most to the other. And it wasn't really a secret to the rest of the world either. So he wanted to make sure he was able to consider all his options, and Benny would be sure to hear him out so they could make the decision together.

And the idea of marrying Ethan didn't seem bad at all. If they got married, they'd always be together. And they'd never have to worry about someone else coming along to separate them. It wasn't a bad idea at all. But, if they did decide to do that, it was still a long time away. And Benny knew that there was someone else who could influence Ethan.

Benny smiled a little when Ethan's eyes peeled open. "Morning."

"Good morning." Ethan said.

"How're you feeling?"

Ethan took a breath. "Okay, I guess."

"You don't feel sick?"

"Mm-mm." ethan shook his head.

"That's good."

"I'm kind of hungry, actually."

"Oh? Let's go get breakfast then." Benny stood.

"Nah, never mind. I don't feel like getting up." Ethan rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head.

Benny crossed his arms and smirked. "Ethan, if you don't get up, you know what I'm going to do."

"I don't care." Ethan's voice was falsely sleepy and muffled by the blanket. "It's warm in here."

"I will do it." Benny warned jokingly.

"No you won't."

"Wanna bet?" Benny climbed back on the bed, legs on either side of Ethan. He pulled back the blanket and raised an eyebrow at him.

"No," Ethan said with a serious face, "please don't, Benny."

"I warned you, Ethan." Benny said, holding his hands up.

"I'll get up, just please don't-" Ethan was cut off when he saw Benny's hands come towards him and start tickling his sides. He began to laugh. "Aha, no..." Being tickled always made him laugh uncontrollably. He kept giggling, and when he looked up to see Benny's I'm-trying-to-look-evil-but-I-can't-stop-laughing-at-you-because-you're-so-cute-when-I-tickle-you face, he just closed his eyes and laughed harder. "Benny, stop it. I said I'll get up." His body felt weak, but he tried to kick Benny off of him so he could defend himself. But Benny was sitting on his legs, so he had to try and regain control of his arms.

"You promise you'll get up?" Benny stopped tickling him, waiting for his answer.

Ethan used this opportunity to put his hands on Benny's shoulders and push him. They both ended up falling off the side of the bed with a thud. Benny landed on the floor on his back. Ethan landed on top of him, straddling his hips and still holding onto his shoulders, their chests almost touching. They stared at each other, startled both by the fall and the contact. Benny sat up half way, leaning on his elbows for support. Suddenly Ethan pushed forward, knocking Benny back down and touching their lips together.

Benny didn't know what was happening. Well, he told himself he didn't. Which is why he didn't push Ethan away. Because he wanted to know what it was. Their lips moved together slowly, feeling each other out for the first time. Benny's hands found their way to Ethan's hips, holding him steady against him.

And then it was over. Ethan jumped to his feet, staring down at Benny with tears in his eyes. "Sorry..." he said, trying to wipe the tears away. "Hormones."

"It's okay, don't cry, Ethan. Please don't cry." Benny stood and hugged Ethan loosely, cradling his head against his chest. It was clear to him now that these mood swings would be _a lot_ different than his grandmother's.

But Ethan kept sobbing against him, soaking his shirt. He clamped his arms tightly around Benny. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I don't know why I..."

"Ethan." Benny rubbed his back. "It's fine. I know you're just really hormonal. It's okay. It's probably worse in you because you're a guy and you're not used to those hormones to begin with."

"I don't like this, Benny." Ethan said, trying to stop the tears from flowing. "I can't control it. I don't want to be like that."

"I'm sorry." Benny said quietly.

Ethan took a deep breath. "No." he pulled slightly away from Benny and tried wiping the tears away again. They stopped mostly, leaving his eyes puffy and red and his face still damp. "It's okay. It's not your fault. It's just something I'll have to get used to."

"But it is my fault."

Ethan looked at him. "Listen to me. You may have gotten me pregnant, but it is _not_ your fault that it's making me crazy with hormones. This is going to be difficult for both of us. But we can do this."

"Yeah." Benny nodded. "We can."

"I just... remember what you said about... how I was there for you when... when you lost your parents?"

Benny gave another slight nod.

"Well, I need you like that now. I... I _can't_ do this without you, Benny."

"You don't have to." Benny promised.

"I know. But I also know how these things go. Someone gets pregnant and even if they were great friends, it could end horribly. I just don't want that to happen to us."

"I don't plan on letting that happen."

"Well neither do I. But what if something happens, Benny? What if we can't agree on something and we fight and we end up hating each other?"

Benny chuckled.

"Don't laugh at me. I mean it."

"That's impossible." Benny said. "Think about it. Us? Hating each other? Really, Ethan."

Ethan sniffed. "Saying that doesn't mean it won't happen."

Benny just looked at him with a smirk.

"Now you're just mocking me." Ethan crossed his arms and turned away, Benny's arms still wrapped around his midsection.

"I'm not mocking you." Benny corrected. "I'm just reminding you that we've been friends since we were babies. And we've had plenty of fights. Big fights. Don't you remember that time you punched me right in the eye? I looked part raccoon for weeks!"

Ethan laughed a little at the memory. "Hey, you bit me first."

"Because you dared me to."

"I didn't think you'd do it!" Ethan was laughing heartily by now.

"We fight, Ethan. But have we ever stopped being friends?"

"No..." Ethan admitted.

"There you have it, then."

"But, Benny..."

"Shh." Benny interrupted. "Stop. The last thing you need right now is to stress out about it. I _promise_ you I'm going to be here the whole time, okay?"

Ethan closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay."


	6. If You Were A Girl

**Chapter 6 - If You Were A Girl (Posted 22 October 2011)**

"I don't want to go to school." Ethan said on Monday morning. He'd spent the whole weekend at Benny's house, afraid to face his parents.

"You have to go. I have to, so you have to." Benny said with a small laugh.

"But I don't feel good."

"Come on." He tried to pull him out of the bed. "You know that'll go away in a few minutes."

"Benny...?" Ethan looked at him with sad eyes.

"Yeah?"

"How long does the morning sickness last?"

Benny sighed and sat down next to him on the bed. "Weren't you paying attention in Health last year?"

"No, I was too busy watching you stick things like carrots and straws up your nose."

"Until the end of the first trimester."

"I have to be like this for three months?" Ethan whined.

"Sometimes it ends sooner." Benny reminded him. "It varies from person to person."

Ethan sighed. "And then I'll start to get fat." Benny giggled at him, making him blush. "What are you laughing at?"

"You." Benny chuckled again. "You sound like a girl."

"Pfft." Ethan closed his eyes. "For all this, I might as well be a girl."

"No. I definitely like you better as a boy."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Well, for one thing, I can't imagine you with boobs." Benny said, poking his chest.

Ethan laughed and looked into Benny's eyes. "That's not what I mean."

"I know. I just... I like you as a guy because we can do guy things together. If you were a girl, well, you'd be the awesomest girl ever, but... you know... I think... if you were a girl... we wouldn't be able to be just... friends." Benny heard his voice begin to sound shaky and felt his hands become slightly clammy as he admitted this.

"What?" Ethan's voice was quiet.

"I just mean that... if you were a girl..."

Ethan's lips curled into a tiny smile. "You'd like me?"

"Yeah..."

"It's okay. I'd like you too. If you were a girl, that is."

"Of course." Benny smiled back at him. "But let's be honest. If one of us had to be a girl, it'd be you."

"What makes you think that?" Ethan asked, offended.

"Let's see... how do I say this..." He leaned in and whispered into Ethan's ear, "If you and I had sex, who do you think would be the girl?"

Ethan's face turned bright red as he sat up. "Benny!"

"What?" Benny asked, not appearing embarrassed at all. "It's true."

"Why would _we_ ever have sex?" His blush deepened and his voice cracked.

"If we were in love. Duh. Now come on, get dressed. I'll be downstairs waiting for you."

Ethan watched as Benny walked out of the room. His face was still hot from blushing at what Benny said. He got dressed, putting on Benny's clothes as he had been doing all weekend. For some reason Ethan just didn't feel like going home. Well, it wasn't just for _some_ reason, he knew the reason. He didn't want to face his parents. What would they say? What would they think? Hiding his powers from them was easy compared to this. You can't hide a pregnancy forever. Even if they did decide to give it up, his weight gain would eventually become painfully obvious.

X

"Benny!" Ethan whined as a hand reached in the vending machine and removed his soda. "That's mine."

Benny reached into his pocket and pulled out six quarters, placing them in Ethan's palm. "Here. Now it's mine."

Ethan sighed. "Fine. I'll just get another one." He made to put a quarter into the slot, but Benny reached out and stopped him, shaking his head. Ethan simply sent him a questioning, and slightly annoyed, look.

"E, remember what Gramma said. No caffein."

"Ugh." Ethan hit his head against the vending machine. "But I have a headache."

"Then I'll go get a tylenol out of my locker. Buy a water with that money, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Did you take the vitamin she gave you? You're supposed to take it every day."

"No. No, I forgot," Ethan admitted.

"I thought so. I brought them with me just in case. Get your water and then meet me at my locker?"

Ethan groaned. "Okay, I'll be right there."

X

After watching Ethan take his pill, they finished the school day and began walking home together.

"You know," Benny said, "you can't avoid going home forever."

"I'm not avoiding it," Ethan defended.

"Yeah, you kind of are."

Ethan sighed quietly. "Yeah. I am."

"Your parents will probably think something's wrong."

"Something _is_ wrong. Even though..." Ethan looked away, trying to think of a way to say it without sounding creepy.

"Even though what?"

"Even though... it doesn't really feel that wrong. I mean... obviously it feels strange being... you know, pregnant... but the more I think about it, the less scared I get."

"Really?" Benny couldn't hid the smile that came as a result of hearing Ethan's words. He didn't think anyone could ever understand how good it made him feel to hear him say that.

"Yeah. Really. It's strange. It's something that shouldn't be happening. But it almost feels... good. It's like... I don't know, it just... whenever I think about it, and I picture it in my head, it makes me smile."

"That's... awesome."

"It is?"

"Definitely." Benny mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why?"

Benny bit his lip. He wasn't ready to tell Ethan his position on keeping the baby yet. "Well... because. You're handling it really well. Sometimes an unexpected... thing like this can cause depression and all kinds of things and... I'm just glad none of that is happening to you. I'd feel so much worse if you were hurting..."

"I don't want you to feel guilty. If this had to happen, I'm glad it was with you. You're my best friend. And you're right, we can get through this. Together. I've been thinking of it as a test of our strength as friends, but I really don't think there's any situation that could possibly be strong enough to tear us apart, so... why are you staring at me like that?"

Benny giggled. "You went all Inspirational Ethan on me, dude."

"Oh." Ethan laughed. "Sorry. But you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I do."

"But I still don't want to go home."

"E, if you're worried... about telling your parents, you know I'll do whatever I can to make it easier for you, right? And you don't have to tell them yet. We can wait until-"

"It's not that." Ethan shook his head. "Well, not _just_ that. I just... I don't want to go home because I... I don't want to be alone."

"You're not alone. You have your parents and you sister and... Sarah..."

"Sarah only comes on Fridays."

"What are we going to tell her?"

Ethan was confused. "Tell who about what?"

"Sarah. About the baby. I'm only asking because I know you like her. And, depending on what we decide, you know... I mean I don't know how she feels about guys with kids."

"I think we'll tell her once we've actually reached a decision." Ethan told him. "But it doesn't really matter what she thinks. I mean it does, she's our friend, but think about it. If we give the baby up for adoption, it won't be ours anymore. She wouldn't have to worry about it. And if we keep it... we're gonna get married, so it wouldn't matter whether she likes guys with kids or not because I'd be with you."

"And you really wouldn't mind marrying me? You wouldn't get to date Sarah or anyone else..."

Ethan let a tiny smile show on his lips, a smile not left unnoticed by Benny. "I already told you I wouldn't mind. I'd like it, in fact. It would be like a physical symbol of how much we care about and support each other."

"That's what marriage usually is, Ethan." Benny chuckled.

"Well then there you have it, it'll all work out."

"Can't argue with that logic."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure." Benny nodded.

"To be completely honest, I'd consider marrying you even if we don't keep him."

Benny stopped in his tracks. "What?"

Ethan stopped and looked at him. "You heard me."

"But did I hear you correctly?"

"Yeah. I said I'd marry you even if we weren't having a baby. I'm pretty sure the idea would have occurred to one of us eventually."

"Why?" Benny wondered, though he didn't mention having thought about it already. A few times.

"Because. If you think about it, we're kind of perfect for each other. I know we're both guys, but... like what we were saying before about if one of us was a girl, we totally would have fallen in love. Don't you think?"

Benny's eyes were wider than usual, surprised at Ethan's straightforwardness. "Yeah, I guess..."

Ethan bit his lip, unsure of how to continue. Then he started walking again, slow enough for Benny to catch up as they moved to a more acceptable pace. "It's just a theory."

"It's... an interesting one.'

"Yeah. I'm hungry."

Benny laughed again, relieved to have the subject changed. "Well come back to my house for dinner. And at least call your parents to let them know you're safe."

"They know I'm safe. I'm with you."

"I'm not a superhero. I'm almost as scrawny as you."

"You think I'm scrawny?" Ethan looked hurt, his eyes turned down as if bracing for impact.

"Yeah, but in a good way."

"In what way is that good?"

"...It's cute on you. Besides, it's not like I'm Mr. Macho-Buff-Man or anything, I'm thin too. Which is why you should call your parents, so they don't think your wimpy best friend couldn't save you from a predator."

"Okay, I'll call. But can I stay with you one more night? I'm just not ready to see them. It's like I'll walk in there and they'll see it on my face or something."

"Of course you can stay. You could move in for all I care, but you really are going to need to go home sometime."

"I know. But thanks."


	7. Showing

**Chapter 7 - Showing (Posted 17 November 2011)**

In the two and a half months that passed, Ethan mostly ignored his condition. Not to say he didn't take every precaution necessary such as taking his vitamins, maintaining a healthy diet, and having Benny's gramma check up on things. And of course the baby was never completely out of his thoughts. But he chose not to talk about it.

And Benny never pressed him. It was like a silent understanding that they weren't going to discuss anything serious until it was the right time.

Ethan had been home, of course. But he spent a lot more time with Benny. And they spent so much time together before that it wasn't really that unusual. His parents just shrugged it off as teen angst, needing to get out of the house and away from the stress of home life though they did their best to make things as good for their children as possible.

It was funny how he began to think about that lately. How his parents... parented. He might be doing it soon himself, after all.

The morning sickness was winding down, only threatening to force his breakfast into an encore every once in a while.

This morning, however, was different. Ethan woke up, in Benny's bed as usual, and began getting dressed for the day. It was a weekend, thank goodness, so he could have stayed in his pajamas if he really wanted to, but honestly he was more comfortable in his regular clothes.

"Morning, E," Benny said tiredly as he stretched.

"Morning." Ethan responded as he took his shirt off.

"Woah..."

"What?" Ethan asked, thinking something was wrong."

"You..." Benny pointed to him. "Is that... a _bump_?"

"Huh?" Ethan's voice cracked as he looked down at his stomach. "Oh... my god..."

"Wow."

"Yeah... wow..." Ethan was completely awestruck.

"You have a baby bump."

"Holy cow, I have a baby bump... this is so freaky." He turned sideways, looking at the bump from a different angle in the mirror in front of him.

Benny stood, keeping his eyes on Ethan's stomach. "I think it's cute."

"Cute? I'm getting _fat_, Benny." Ethan pouted.

Benny laughed. "You're not fat, Ethan."

"No, but I'm going to be!"

"No, you'll be a little larger, but only in your stomach area. Oh! I have a present for you! I didn't know when you'd start showing, so I made them a while ago..." Benny began rooting through his closet. "Here," he pulled out some pieces of clothes and handed them to his still shirtless friend, "try them on."

Ethan looked through the pile of shirts he's just been given. They just looked like regular shirts. "What's so special about shirts?"

"I charmed them," Benny explained as Ethan put a brown one on. "With Gramma's help, of course. I know it doesn't matter much now, since you're only showing a tiny bit, but they're bigger on the inside around the belly area, so you can walk around even at the end of the pregnancy and still look like you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean we can't hide it from our families, but not everyone has to know. And if they did, they wouldn't understand. This will allow you to walk around all the normal people and still look... normal."

"Thanks," Ethan said, a little surprised. He actually had been worried about that.

"No problem, dude."

Ethan lifted the shirt up to expose his stomach once again. He examined it, placing a hand on the tiny bump. "Our son is in there."

"Yeah." Benny couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

Ethan took a deep breath. "I think it's time to tell Mom and Dad. And our friends. Soon, anyway."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm ready. And even if I'm not... he is. But I need you to be there with me."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Ethan."

X

"I'm so nervous..." Ethan said, cold sweat beading on his face. It was just a few days later.

"Don't be." Benny put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm here for you, man. And they're gonna be supportive. I know it. They're your parents and they love you. If they get upset at anyone, it's gonna be me."

"But they love you too, you know. You've always been like a second son to them."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm sure that even if they're upset, they're not going to hate us or anything. I mean... they're not going to be all excited and welcoming about it, but..."

Ethan nodded. "I know. Let's just do this." He walked into his kitchen, Benny following close behind. "Hey Mom, Dad."

Ethan's mom turned and smiled at him. "Hi, Ethan."

"Hey, son." his dad said from where he sat at the table.

"Um..." Ethan said softly. "Can I... talk to you guys about something?"

They both got a serious look on their faces.

"Is it drugs?" his dad asked.

"No, it's not drugs." Ethan answered.

"Is it a girl problem?" his mother asked.

"No."

"Is it..."

"Guys... it'll be easier if you just let me explain everything to you."

"Okay," they said. His mother sat at the table by her husband, and watched as the two boys sat across from them.

"Well..." Ethan started, "I guess we should start at the very beginning..." He went on to explain Benny's magical family, and then his own visions.

"Ethan!" His mother squealed. "Why didn't you tell us you've had your first vision?"

Ethan gaped. "What?"

"I was getting worried," she said, sounding relieved. "I thought something might be wrong with you!"

"You... you _know_ I'm a seer?"

"Well, we guessed," she admitted. "I mean, mind started when I was around thirteen."

Both Ethan and Benny were surprised. "You're a seer too? Wait... are both of you...?"

"No" his dad spoke up at last, "just your mother. I'm just a regular joe. I was kind of hoping you would be too, but only because I know what she went through when she first discovered her power."

"Neither of us wanted that for you." the woman added. "But it is a wonderful gift."

"So..." Ethan said, "you knew about Benny, too?"

"Of course we did. We were good friends with his parents. Having them around really helped us .

Ethan quickly glanced at Benny. He always worried anytime someone mentioned Benny's parents. He didn't expect him to have an immediate breakdown, but sometimes hearing about them upset him. He was glad to see Benny hadn't really reacted. "Well, that makes this a little easier, then. Although not by much..."

"Sweetie, you know you can talk to us about anything."

"Yeah, Mom, I know... I just... it's really hard to say."

Benny looked at him. "Do you want me to do it?"

Ethan took a breath, holding it for a second before slowly letting it out in an effort to calm himself. "No, thanks though. Okay, so... Benny and I mess around with spells and stuff all the time, and a while ago we tried this one spell... it was supposed to give us moustaches. It didn't work, obviously, but that's because we accidentally used the wrong spell and... well, it put us in a very unique position..."

Ethan's parents stared at him. They looked worried.

"What did you do?" his father asked bravely, though he looked apprehensive.

He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to tell them. He wasn't ready, they weren't prepared... but was anyone really ever ready for news like this? He just had to do it, like ripping a bandage off. So he just closed his eyes and blurted out, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" they asked, thinking they'd heard wrong.

_Wow_, Ethan thought_,__it__wasn__'__t__really__that__hard.__It__should__be__easier__now__that__I__'__ve__said__it..._ "I'm pregnant. The spell we used was a fertility spell. One that can be used on men."

Ethan's dad opened his mouth to say something, but Benny started talking before he could say whatever he was going to say.

"It's my fault," Benny confessed. "I wasn't paying attention when I started the incantation. I'm so sorry."

"Benny!" Ethan scolded. "I told you I don't blame you."

"So..." Ross's eyes were wide. "You're _actually_... pregnant?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. It'll be three months tomorrow."

"All this time I was worried about you getting a girl pregnant... I never thought to worry about it being you."

His wife rolled her eyes. "I told you it was possible. But no, I had to carry _both_our kids."

"Aren't you guys upset about this?" Ethan asked.

"Well," his mother said, "I can't say we're exactly ecstatic about it... but at least it's not because you were out having unprotected sex... were you?"

Ethan blushed. "No! I wasn't even having _protected_ sex, I swear!"

"Really?" she didn't seem to believe him, but seemed to accept it when he nodded. "I'm proud of you for being responsible."

"Yeah," Benny said, "I'm the irresponsible one."

"Benny, it was an honest mistake." Ethan said.

"So? Honest or not, it's huge, Ethan. I can't tell you how horrible I feel about this."

"I don't want you to feel bad. I'm not mad at you."

"Have you discussed your plans for the baby?" Ross asked.

"A little," Ethan answered, though he wished he could reassure Benny more. "We haven't really made a decision yet."

"What are you considering?" his mother asked.

"Um... well, adoption is one option. I mean, we're just young and... I don't know what kind of parents we'd make right now."

"That's very mature of you." she said, looking a little sad.

"Yeah." Ethan said. "But we've thought about keeping it too. It's ours, after all." He felt himself start to tear up. "At first, you know, I wasn't really sure, but... I think I might feel bad after giving him away."

"It's a boy?" Both his parents asked.

Ethan actually smiled. "Yeah. It's a boy." Benny, although surprised by Ethan's smile, felt a little better at seeing it. "And we've decided that if we keep him, we're gonna get married."

"That's great, honey." his mother nodded.

"You're okay with that?"

"It's not up to us." his father answered. "You may be young, but you're not a child. You've got to make the decisions that are right for you, and your baby. And you're smart, we trust you to know you're making the right choice. Besides, you guys are so close, it probably won't be any different if you get married. Well... you know, mostly."

Ethan blushed again. "Dad!"

Ethan's mom and Benny chuckled.

"Have you told anyone else?" she asked.

"Just Gramma." Benny answered.

Both parents nodded. "Well, Ethan," Ross started, "I'm glad you decided to tell us. We're proud of you, and we're glad you felt comfortable coming to us. And even though we were never expecting something like this to happen, I'll support whatever you choose to do, and I'm sure your mother will as well."

"Of course." she agreed. "If you want to give him up for adoption, we'll help you find an agency or a family. But if you want to keep him... we'll help you with that as well."

"Really?" Ethan and Benny asked, surprised.

"Absolutely," she assured. "We love you. Both of you. And even though we thought it would be later, we'd be awesome grandparents."

X

"Wow." Ethan sighed, sitting on his bed. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

"I told you it wouldn't be so bad."


	8. Hiccoughs and Kicking

**Chapter 8 - Hiccoughs and Kicking (Posted 17 December 2011)**

Benny woke in the middle of the night to the sound of Ethan giggling quietly. He rolled over and looked at his friend who'd been sleeping over practically every night since they'd told his parents about the baby. "E?" he asked groggily.

"Oh, sorry if I woke you..."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Benny smiled, sitting up. "He at it again?"

Ethan nodded with a laugh. "He just doesn't stop. He hiccoughs all night long. I can't sleep. Not because of the hiccoughing, though. I just don't want to, you know? It's... amusing."

Benny wrapped an arm around Ethan's shoulders and rested their heads together. Ethan was five months along now. "What do you think he's gonna look like?"

"Well... he'll probably have dark hair like us. And he'll grow up to be really skinny too."

"I bet he'll have your cute little nose."

"And your pretty eyes."

Benny blinked. "You think my eyes are pretty?"

Ethan blushed a little as he looked into those very eyes. "Well, yeah. I've always thought that."

The silence that ensued wasn't awkward as much as it was tense. As they just stared at each other, so close together, they could both sense what was about to happen. It was inevitable, they just needed to wait long enough to see which one would take the leap and initiate it.

Benny, unable to stand the wait, closed the small amount of distance between them and placed his lips over Ethan's. Neither of them moved at first, but before they knew it, their lips were moving in a a rhythm so synchronized it felt like they'd done it thousands of time before.

Ethan was the first to pull away, a look of sadness forming on his face. "Sorry..." he whispered.

"For?" Benny asked, worried he'd done something wrong.

"We can't do that. Not yet. If this... if things don't work out, I don't want to mess up our friendship. You're the most important person in the world to me and... I just don't want us to make any decisions about our relationship until we figure out what to do with the baby."

"Okay." Benny said, smiling. "I understand, Ethan." And he did understand. It was a risk, to start a relationship like that in their kind of situation. But at least now he had some kind of confirmation that Ethan was starting to feel differently as well.

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. I'm here for you, okay? Just tell me what you want, and I'll do my best to give it to you."

"Right now, I just want to go to sleep." Ethan said with a tiny smile.

Benny nodded. "Come on, then, lay down under the covers."

X

"Ugh, I just can't play anymore, Benny." Ethan set the game controller down on the floor and sat back. "The motion sickness is just too much for me." he added, dejected.

"I'm sorry, bro."

Ethan sighed. "It's alright. Just three more months and it'll all be better. I'll be able to play video games, I'll be able to eat pizza without puking, and I'll be able to ride my bike."

"It will be cool to be able to do those things with you again," Benny admitted.

"Yeah, and-" Ethan jerked as he felt something move inside him. He locked eyes with Benny, mouth hanging slightly open.

"What?" Benny asked worriedly.

"Benny... the baby... I think he just kicked."

Benny's eyes went wide, and he repeated, "What?"

"He kicked, Benny!" Ethan yelled excitedly. He reached over and grabbed Benny's hand, placing it on his stomach. He kept his hand over Benny's, holding it in place. "Here, see if he does it again."

Sure enough, there was another little kick against the walls of Ethan's belly.

"Wow..." Benny was awestruck, unable to think of what to say. "Wow, Ethan."

"I know," Ethan was equally speechless. After feeling another kick, he was finally able to find the words he needed. "That's it, Benny. We're keeping him."

Benny smiled so wide he was sure aliens could see it from outer space. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. We can't give him up, Benny. He's ours. I guess I've always felt that way, but I just wasn't sure if keeping him was in his best interest. But this... feeling him kick like that, I can't even think about not keeping him, you know? Even if I have to do this by myself, I just can't give my baby away."

"E, I told you in the beginning. I'd never let you do this on your own, even if this baby wasn't mine."

"I'm glad it's yours." Ethan said quietly. "I'm so excited to have this baby, Benny."

"Me too." Benny said before leaning forward and kissing Ethan, bravely letting his tongue venture into his friend's mouth. He carefully pushed Ethan down, laying him out on the floor. He was glad they'd decided to play in Ethan's bedroom rather than the living room; he didn't need Ethan's parents seeing them right now. He continued to kiss him passionately, pinning his shoulders down and loving the feeling of having Ethan's hands on his back and in his hair. It'd been a month since their last kiss, and he'd been waiting patiently for another chance, so he was thankful Ethan wasn't pushing him away. He could barely believe it was only their third kiss. It just felt so natural.

He pulled away then, waiting for Ethan's response.

"What was that for?" Ethan asked, panting.

"We're keeping the baby. That means we're engaged."

"Huh. I guess it does." Ethan realized.

Benny released him and sat back. "If that's still what you want..."

Ethan rolled his eyes and stuck his arms in the air. "Help me stand up." Benny stood and grabbed Ethan's hands, pulling him to stand as well. As soon as Ethan was on his feet, he wrapped his arms around Benny and pulled him into a warm hug, resting his head against Benny's chest. "Of course that's what I want. You and me, married, raising our baby together. I want it more than anything."

Benny's arms folded around Ethan in a return hug, giving a long sigh of relief. "I'm so glad."


	9. Family Dinner

**Chapter 9 - Family Dinner (Posted 22 December 2011)**

Ethan was nervous. Benny's hand on his back managed to reassure him some, but tonight was a big night. Everyone was gathered around the table at Benny's house. His parents were there, and so was Jane, who had also been told about Ethan's pregnancy. She had just laughed. And Benny's grandmother was finishing setting the table as she sat down. Benny was to his side, trying to keep him calm. But he didn't only have one announcement tonight. He had news for everyone, including Benny.

"Ethan, dear," Benny's grandmother said a few minutes into the meal, "are you feeling alright? You don't look well."

"I'm fine." Ethan nodded. "I just have something on my mind... something I want to tell all of you." Everyone around the table looked at him, waiting. Benny send Ethan an encouraging smile, letting him know that he could take over. Ethan shook his head at him discreetly. He wanted ot be the one to tell them. "Benny and I... we've decided we want to keep the baby." He braced for awkwardness, but all he received was a flood of comforting smiles.

"Are you sure?" his mother asked, seeming hopeful.

He nodded confidently. "Yeah. We're sure. We want to keep him, and take care of him together. We know it's going to be hard, being teenaged parents, but we're ready to take on that kind of responsibility." He felt himself start to tear up. "We, um... we're ready to start our own little family."

"We'll help you out," Ross reminded them. "We're the grandparents, after all."

"And I get to be an aunt!" Jane said happily.

Benny looked over at his grandmother. "Gramma?"

"I'm looking forward to being a great grandmother, Benny. You two have a supporting family, and I'm sure your friends will be there for you too. You're going to be just fine." she assured them.

"So," Ethan's mom inquired, "have you talked about names yet?"

"Not really," Benny started to say.

But Ethan took a deep breath and tried to find the strength to make his next announcement. "Actually, I have already picked his name."

His mother pursed her lips. "Um, sweetheart, isn't that something you two should decide together?"

"Yeah," Ethan admitted, "but I know Benny's gonna like it."

"What name did you choose?" Ross asked.

Ethan took another breath before looking at Benny and taking one of his hands in his. He saw Benny's look of anticipation and confusion. He was nervous, but this was something he had to do. "I want to name him Eli."

Benny's heart stopped and his eyes immediately filled with tears. All he could see was Ethan, but he could feel the teary eyes of everyone around the table looking at him. "Ethan..." he could barely manage a whisper.

But Ethan heard him. "What do you think, Benny?"

"Please excuse us," he said in a shaky voice as he stood and pulled Ethan out of the room. Once they were out of sight and earshot of everyone else, he put his hands on Ethan's shoulders and searched his eyes for any hint that this was a joke. He found only honesty and happiness. "That was my dad's name."

"I know." Ethan said after sniffing. He didn't want to cry, but seeing how this was affecting Benny made him extremely emotional. "That's why I picked it."

"You want to name our son after my dad?"

"Absolutely. Do you like it?"

"It's perfect, Ethan." Benny hugged him, giving him a small but emotion-filled kiss. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Benny." Ethan reached up and tried to wipe Benny's tears away. "You ready to go back in there?"

"Yeah..." Benny nodded and wiped the rest of the wetness off his face, stealing another quick kiss from Ethan's lips. "Yeah, I'm ready."


	10. Proposal

**Chapter 10 - Proposal (Posted 29 December 2011)**

Ethan was now seven months into his pregnancy, and he and Benny had been sort-of dating for the past month. He considered it sort-of because it felt like they'd been dating for years, things hadn't really changed between them other than the kissing and of course their future child. They didn't really act any differently, though. They'd always been close. Affectionate towards each other. And Ethan was really happy with the way their relationship was going.

But for the last few days, he's been getting weird vibes from Benny. He couldn't tell if it was just his hormones going wild or if Benny really was acting strange. "Benny," he began after spotting him trying to sneak out the back door, "where are you going?"

"Huh?" Benny yelled, startled. "Me? Oh, nowhere."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You must really like Nowhere. You go there a lot lately."

"Do I?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "You do."

"Ethan," Benny stepped forward and gently took hold of Ethan's face, giving him a gentle kiss, "Don't worry about this, okay? I'll be back later tonight. I'm just gonna stop home for something quick. But I'll be back. You know I can't stand to be away from you for too long."

"I know..."

"I'll be right back. I promise."

Ethan sighed. "Okay. I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah." Benny smiled and left.

Ethan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, wondering what Benny was up to. "Mom," he said when he saw her in the kitchen, "can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, honey. What's up?"

"How... how do you know if... someone's cheating on you?"

His mother's face fell. "Why are you asking that?" she asked, sticking her arms out for a hug.

Ethan accepted. "Just... Benny's been acting really strange for the last couple days. He's been sneaking around, not answering my questions, and I just... I don't know what do do, Mom."

"Oh, Ethan," she soothed. "I'm sure Benny's not cheating on you. He'd never do something like that, he's crazy about you."

"I know that... but what if he doesn't like me anymore? Or what if he changed his mind about keeping Eli? What if..."

"Ethan, don't be ridiculous. Benny would talk to you if he was having second thoughts. And even though he can be a little... odd, sometimes, that boy is so wonderful it breaks my heart to think about all he's been through. As much as I know teen parenthood isn't exactly an accepted thing, I really think this is going to be a good thing for you guys. You two are so lucky to have each other, and your son is going to be one of the luckiest kids on the planet to have parents like you. And Benny knows it. I swear, he's so ready to be a father... and the way he looks at you..."

"But, Mom... why won't he tell me where he's been going? Why does he feel the need to sneak around?"

She patted his head. "I understand your concern. But give him some time before you go jumping to conclusions."

X

A few more days went by and Benny kept disappearing. He always returned quickly, and he spent the rest of his time with Ethan.

But Ethan still didn't like the fact that he was being so secretive.

"You're leaving again?" Ethan asked when Benny got up from the couch.

"Yeah. I'll be back."

"That's what you always say."

"And I always come back."

"That's not the point." Ethan jumped to his feet. "This'll be the second time today."

"Yeah, and I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Where do you go?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does." Ethan argued. "It's driving me crazy, Benny. I don't care that you leave, I mean I do... but why can't you tell me where you go?"

"...Because." Benny answered.

"Because? That's your answer?"

"Ethan, please don't turn this into a fight. I hate fighting with you." Benny pleaded.

"I hate fighting too, but if you would just tell me..."

"I can't."

"You can't."

"No..." Benny said with guilty eyes.

"Benny... if you don't want this, you should tell me now before it's too late?"

"What?"

"If you've changed your mind..."

"Ethan... no..." Benny reached out to hug him, but Ethan stepped away. "I haven't changed my mind. What would even make you think that?"

"You." Ethan started to cry. "You always leave, and you never tell me what you're doing. When else am I supposed to think, Benny? And don't tell me it's just my hormones, something's going on and I want to know what."

Benny nodded. "Okay... Come with me." He grabbed Ethan's hand and pulled him out of the house. He led them to a small park. It was dark outside, but the street lights lit it up enough so they could see each other.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I had to. I was waiting to do this, but... it looks like I can't wait anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

Benny dropped down, kneeling on one knee as he kept hold of Ethan's hand. "Ethan... I know the whole reason all this started was because I accidentally got you pregnant, but I want you to know that what I feel for you is realer than the ground beneath us, and I couldn't be happier."

"Benny..." Ethan gasped as he saw him take something out of his pocket and felt it slip onto his finger.

"Ethan, I love you." Benny said, causing Ethan to fall to his knees in front of him. "I love you so much. And I can't wait to raise this baby with you. I just... I know you deserve so much more than I can offer you, but we belong together. So I wanted to do this right. Ethan, will you marry me?"

"But... we're already engaged..."

"I know." Benny said with an amused smile. "But I wanted to ask you properly. I wanted you to know that this isn't just because I feel obligated to be with you. I _want_ this. I just need to know that you want it too."

"Of course I do." Ethan threw his arms around Benny, hugging him tightly. "I love you too. And I definitely want to marry you."

Benny let out a breath of relief as he returned Ethan's embrace. "I am so happy to hear that."

"But you still haven't told me where you've been going."

"Oh, right... it was supposed to be a secret, but... I've been working."

"Working?"

"Yeah. I... I got a job. I know Gramma and your parents said they'd help out, but I really wanted to buy some things for him. I got him some toys and clothes... and I even got a crib. I thought we could put it together... together."

"I'd love that, Benny." Ethan glanced down at his hand, and chuckled when he saw the ring on his finger. "Benny, this is a plastic ring from a quarter machine."

"I know, isn't it great?" Benny answered enthusiastically. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you a real one someday, but I wanted to have _something _to give you when I asked you, and when I saw the machine I just... it spoke to me, you know?"

"I get it. It's sweet..."

"I love you." Benny said, kissing Ethan's lips softly. "You're so beautiful, Ethan."

"Even though I'm fat and moody?"

"Those things would never change how I see you. You're _beautiful_. You always have been, and you always will be."

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"Other than sticking by me when I had no one else? Or how about being patient with me no matter what was going on?"

Ethan smiled. "Thanks, Benny. But you know you didn't have to keep your job a secret..."

"I know. I just wanted it to be a surprise."

"That's sweet."

"Come on, let's get you home."


End file.
